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Luiz Felipe Scolari might well have been told he won’t be getting any money for the January sales but that’s not going to stop him doing a bit of window shopping in the meantime by the sounds of it, and he’s every right to because Chelsea are definitely missing something.

According to Scolari, the missing ingredient in the Chelsea mix is “an organiser who can get hold of the ball, get forward and energise our front line. I just have players who work on the ball. Deco, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard can all shoot. But I don’t have a player who can dribble with the ball. I don’t have that type of player in my squad.” Naming no names of course, although you don’t have to be a genius to work out how much he thinks missing out on Robinho has cost us.

Clearly frustrated, Scolari suggests “When we are at home our opponents close up at the back, with lots of men behind the ball. That makes it immensely difficult when you don’t have an organiser in your team. It is different when we play away. The home sides play a more open game, and as there is room to move we can use our pace to get in behind them.”

Here comes the clever bit though, because in an effort to either distance himself from any blame, exert a little subtle pressure on the Chelsea coffers, or both, Scolari says “But as I’m not being given money to spend on signings, what am I going to do? We will try to make some changes in our next games, and test out other things.”

Mind you, keeping the press onside whilst making sure it’s not misconstrued as a pop at Roman either, he adds “There is no point in me weeping or moaning, or seeking blame. I have to find a solution, and that is what I will do.”

But he’s not done yet, because he obviously recognises the need to have the supporters onside as well, so his message to them is “It’s clear that dropping points at home does not help at all. We have lost 14, but had we taken just five or six of those we’d now have a good lead at the top. Our fans are not happy, and nor can they be. But they have to understand that the players have given their all – they don’t want to lose or draw matches. But sometimes we don’t have the quality to win.”

Another shrewd statement there, publicly absolving the players of blame in order to keep their support as well. So all in all, some very clever words with a very obvious message – if he’s not given any money and we crash and burn – he’s in no way to blame.

I was reading yesterday that Luiz Felipe Scolari has targeted Thiago Silva to replace Alex, who’d apparently handed in a transfer request that Chelsea have yet to see.

Brilliant. Silva is after all rated as one of the best central defenders in Brazil and obviously, Scolari has his connections in that neck of the woods. Except, the 24 year old is already reported to have travelled to Milan a few days ago to sort out a deal and have a medical ahead of an agreed move to the Rossoneri in the summer. Mind you, a couple of weeks ago, it was Chelsea who were rumoured to have offered him a contract.

Only days after speculation about one of our defenders handing in a transfer request, we’re hearing another one is about to do the same thing.

Earlier rumours of Alex handing in a request for a move in January were denied by the club although now we’re being informed – by the press naturally – that Branislav Ivanovic wants a move. Quite handy really, seeing as he’d already been linked with a move to 3 Serie A sides last month.

However, this time we’re told it’s Inter Milan the 24 year old could be heading for having become disillusioned with his lack of playing time for Chelsea. With Alex already playing ahead of him and Ricardo Carvalho coming back to fitness, the suggestion seems to be the Serbian is looking for a move sooner rather than later.

Chelsea turned down a move for Ivanovic from Juve earlier in the season, although with Luiz Felipe Scolari making it clear he only wants players who want to be at the club in his squad, and with a lack of funds forthcoming for new recruits, could it be that Ivanovic will get the move after all?

Well, it looks as if it’s more or less confirmed that Adriano will be leaving Inter in January, with Jose Mourinho quoted as saying “Adi will not be playing with us any more and this really saddens me, as I would have preferred to keep him here until at least June.” The question is, is he heading for Stamford Bridge?

The suggestion seems to be that he is, for six months at least, until Scolari can see what difference he makes during a loan spell. But what difference would he make?

Chelsea, as we know, probably at the cost of our home form, don’t play two up front and whilst I’d like to think it’s Scolari’s plan to start playing two up front at home, therefore justifying the need for a striker in reserve, I just can’t see it.

As it is, with the system(s) Scolari uses, Nicolas Anelka has surely done enough to keep his place? And we’ve been told time and again that Drogba’s going nowhere. So where exactly does Adriano fit in then?

Is Adriano going to fancy coming to keep our bench warm? I can’t see it somehow. But then I can’t see any justification for pushing Anelka out either – well, not as far as away games go anyway.

I mean, obviously as the transfer window gets ever closer, most clubs want to make sure they keep hold of their players. Most clubs though would just issue the bog standard “hands off” warning. Not so for Napoli though because although that’s the approach their Sporting Director took a couple of months ago, their president, Aurelio De Laurentiis has taken a different tact.

Ezequiel Lavezzi has been linked to Chelsea for a while, despite ruling out a move away from Napoli, although clearly this fell on death ears because De Laurentiis is running off at the mouth with reasons why his players should avoid England like the plague.

Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard some desperate statements from clubs in their time when fighting to hold on to players, but this one really has to top the lot because in an effort to dissuade his players from opting for Premier League football, De Laurentiis says “If they want to go to England then in the end they’re going to go, but they need to understand this: the English live badly, eat badly and their women do not wash their genitalia. To them, a bidet is a mystery.”

The rumours are coming in thick and fast as we get ever closer to the transfer window. No matter what Chelsea might say about lack of funds available, the press aren’t giving in that easy even if it means repeating themselves.

So the latest voice we have echoing around us is Axel Witsel.

Yes I know we’ve been there and done that already because only last month we were being told Scolari had his eye on the Standard Liege youngster. We were also told the player himself had a preference for United.

Now though, the press reckon we’re getting sneaking about it because although United apparently had a bid of £19million for the 19 year old turned down last month, the suggestion is Chelsea are trying to pull a fast one while they’re out of the way.

You see whilst United are in Japan for the FIFA Club World Cup, Chelsea are rumoured to have ‘contacted’ Standard Liege about the promising midfielder. Only snag I can see with that one is, the press missed the bit out about where exactly the money is meant to be coming from to pay for him.